If you have an online business website, you may know and understand SEO or search engine optimization basics. You may even have implemented an SEO campaign. But do you understand the different parts of SEO, and do you have SEO off-page and on-page?
What is on-page SEO? It is an integral part of SEO that focuses on optimizing elements on the website (such as page speed and keyword density) and factors outside the website (such as backlinks).
On this page, we will talk more about on-page SEO, from concept to how to optimize on-page to do your best to see the best results.
Why do on-page SEO?
SEO on the page can improve search rankings, increase website traffic, and bring more conversions. The results of on-page SEO take time, but once your on-page SEO strategy gets put into practice, it can make your online rankings and sales soar.
What is on-page SEO?
Web SEO refers to any optimization that you control and include in a website. Through on-page optimization, you aim to make your website more usable and valuable to users, thereby improving your ranking or visibility of search results on Google, Bing, and other search engines.
Which factors for on-page SEO ranking should be optimized?
With SEO on the page, there are multiple factors for ranking. It is best to optimize all of the factors that are listed. When you take time to do this, it will improve your ranking in search results and make your website more competitive and hard to beat.
On-page optimization factors you should pay attention to include:
- Mobile-friendliness
- Images
- Internal linking
- Speed
- Content
- Keywords
- Alt tags
- Heading tags
- Meta description
- Title tag
- URL
Examples of action items for on-page SEO include:
- Speeding up your site
- Streamlining page navigation
- Cleaning up site code
- Writing quality and in-depth content
- Optimizing meta descriptions and title tags
Keep reading to learn how you can use on-page SEO for each factor.
Optimization for on-page SEO
Now that you know which factors will influence on-page SEO, you can start to optimize them. Just keep in mind that it takes time to optimize a website and see results. Following practices for each factor can help you make a site that can deal with the algorithm’s updates.
Page speed
What is page speed? Page speed measures the loading speed of content on the page.
If the attention time is less than that of ordinary goldfish, users who load more than three seconds will abandon 50% of the page. People need information. They want it now!
Search engines like Google also use page speed as a ranking factor. You can control website speed and page speed, so optimize page speed. Make your website load faster, and you can rank higher in search results.
PageSpeed Insights can get you customized recommendations to help you speed your site up. You may also follow some of the best page speed best practices.
Mobile friendly
What is mobile device friendliness? Mobile-friendliness describes the usability of your website on mobile devices.
More than 50% of traffic will come from a mobile device, which is why it is important to have a mobile-friendly website. If people who are using tablets and smartphones cannot access your website, then your rankings will drop.
Search engines, like Google, are going to use responsiveness or mobile-friendliness as a factor for ranking. That means that if your site is not made to be used by mobile users, you miss out on revenue and leads.
Being mobile-friendly is not just a suggestion. It is a requirement. It is one requirement that is needed if you want to rank high for your keywords. Mobile compatibility will be considered by Google when it comes to ranking your site. Just remember low compatibility equals low ranking.
When it comes to mobile-friendliness for on-page optimization, then it will focus on responsive site development. Responsive websites make it easy to have a single website that means easy updating and adding new content.
URL
A URL is an address for a website on the internet.
The site pages will need a URL that includes a short description of the topic on the page.
For instance, if you have a website that lists the best ghost tours in Savannah, Georgia, then the right URL would be www.example.com/ghost-tours-in-savannah. If you happen to have many locations, you could use a format like this: www.example.com/locations/savannah/ghost-tours.
It is best to include your keyword in the URL instead of using many numbers and letters. It not only makes it easier for people to find, but it also allows them to get an idea about what the topic is about on your page.
What URL would you rather visit?
www.example.com/245sgoij4k5672j670j775.html
or
www.example.com/category/subcategory/keyword.html
When you use organized and clean URLs, such as the second example, it can help you rank much higher for relevant search results.
Meta description
What is a meta description? Your meta description is a summary of the page and displayed in the SERP.
Meta description does not directly affect your page optimization. This feature can help users but can learn more about your page. The fact that Google will bold user search terms that appear in your meta description is another reason for optimizing the meta description of on-page SEO.
For the best results, please include your core keywords and related keywords in the meta description. For best results, your meta description should stick to 160 characters.
Title Tags
Title tags are the title of a page, but it will only show up in search results.
To show your site in the SERPs, Google will need to know what your page is about. When you use specific keywords in your title tag for the pages, it will be easier for crawlers to understand your site.
For example, if you target the keyword “ghost tours savannah,” you can create the following title tag: “Savannah’s top Ghost Tours | company name.” For best results, limit the title tag to 55 characters To prevent Google from cutting it off in search results and using target keywords initially.
Internal link
What are the internal links? Internal links describe links to pages on your website.
Internal links usually get ignored when dealing with on-page SEO. However, as the website grows, it is essential to create a process for internal linking. That is because internal links can help crawlers explore your site, discover new content, and understand the context of different pages.
Few or no internal links on the page will negatively affect users’ access to valuable content on your website. If they cannot access it, it will directly affect your conversion rate.
Use internal links to improve the SEO of your page in the following ways:
- Add links from existing related content to new pages
- Add links to relevant existing content in new posts
Every internal linking strategy is different, but you should make sure that every new page has at least two to three links for the best results. If you have trouble finding a webpage, please don’t impose a link.
You can use free tools to check the status of internal links.
Heading tag
What is a heading tag? The heading tag separates the content from H2, H3, and H4 to improve its readability.
In terms of title tags, you want to use it for search engines and users. Using title tags throughout the content can break it down and make it more readable and ignorable for users. You can also add core or related keywords to provide search engines with more context on the page.
When writing title tags, remember to locate the core keywords in the H1 tags.
Alt Tags
What are alt tags? The alt tag is what provides more information for your multimedia, like videos and images.
Search engines cannot see multimedia, so they rely on the alt attribute to tell them what multimedia is.
For example, if you have a photo of an umbrella, your alt tag might say “Rainbow Beach Umbrella.” In addition to that, you can add a descriptive name to the image file itself so that Google can better understand your multimedia.
Always add an alt tag to your multimedia content. In addition to Google, your alt tags can also help users who can’t see or interact with your content. Use the alt tag to make your content accessible to everyone who browses your website.
Content
What is the content? Content provides users with answers, and search engines provide context.
Content is essential for page optimization.
Through content, you can give users a reason to visit your website.
Whether reading a blog post or viewing a product page, people will browse your content. Optimizing your content can help search engines understand and rank your content, leading to people finding your website.
Content page SEO revolves around the following practices:
- Make your content trustworthy and authoritative
- Supplement your content with useful images
- Use keywords in headings and paragraphs
- Ensure that the content uses correct spelling and grammar
- Divide the content into skimmable headings
Besides, you should regularly add new content pages to your website so that search engines can see that you are online. You can prove to Google through new blog posts, landing pages, and other strategies that you are working hard to serve customers.
Finding and removing duplicate content can also improve SEO on the page.
Duplicate content refers to similar pieces of content on multiple pages on your website, so there are two reasons for being unpopular:
Google does not know which page to rank: When many website pages contain the same information, search engines will not know which page to rank in the search results.
Duplicate content will confuse website visitors: When you have someone see duplicated content on your site, they can get confused and may not get what should be done next. Duplicate content can disrupt your content channels and prevent listeners from taking action.
Duplicate content is terrible for page SEO, so make sure to check your website regularly for duplicate content and delete it.
Keywords
What are the keywords? Keywords describe the words used in SEO to locate valuable user queries.
Every page on your website should contain text that discusses the topic of that page.
That includes pages that are usually not optimized like your contact pages. These can help you to get online recognition. Using keywords in the body of the page can help Google read and rank it appropriately.
You should research and compile the keywords of every page on your website. Keyword research tools can help you understand people researching keywords related to your products and services.
Check useful metrics, like monthly search competition and volume, to find out what keywords will get the best value. Most of the time, small businesses are going to focus on long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords generally have lower monthly search volume but also lower competition. The search intent for long-tailed keywords is usually easier to understand because they are more targeted.
An effective SEO campaign contains short-tail keywords, and long-tail keywords-the terms you choose to target will depend on your business and goals.
Images
What is a picture? Images are a form of multimedia that can help people understand and browse content.
Images are essential to SEO and users. Using images, you can split content. You can also provide context, such as complex processes or functions that are difficult to describe. Include images in your content, from stock photos to custom graphics to screenshots.
When adding images to the site, remember to compress the images. Too big multimedia will slow down the page speed, thereby affecting rankings. Remember to add alternate text because this additional detail makes your website more accessible and can help you rank in Google Images.
Make sure also to include usability features, such as video transcription and image replacement text. These are another great place to include targeted keywords, and combining them can help make your website ADA compliant.
Evaluating On-Page Optimization
Now that you understand on-page SEO, you are now able to evaluate your website’s performance. You can use tools that audit your website, or you can look at each page manually. If you decide to do that manually, then there are some things that you should be looking for when it comes to on-page optimization.
- Do you have fresh content on your website? Has it not been updated in a year or so? Is everything still relevant, or have things changed?
- Are you using keywords on each page? Are the keywords bringing visitors? If they are not, then why are you using those keywords?
- Are your webpages linked to each other? Can this help you to get visitors from point a to point b with just a click?
- Is your site loading quickly? DO you have pages that take a long time to load? If you have issues, look for the issue. Slow loading sites are not something that humans or bots like.
Checking On-Page SEO of Competitors
You do not have to think hard about what your competitors are. However, they are working just as hard as you to establish themselves in the same industry. You can also be sure that they are using on-page SEO just like you have been doing.
If you want to know what you can do better, check out your competitor websites and see what they are doing. Even though they could have a couple of secrets, you can get plenty of information from just a few pages.
Looking at what your competition is doing can show you areas where you need to improve, strengthening your business. Start to develop on-page SEO, and you will see the rankings for your page start to climb over weeks and months.
What is the difference between On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO?
On-page SEO is different from off-page SEO because on-page means that you are taking action on your website, optimizing the content, and streamlining navigation to increase your ranking. Off-page SEO is actions that get done off your site, like getting backlinks to increase your rankings.
There needs to be the right combination of off-page and on-page SEO to make your SEO strategy successful.
